Big Ten tourney adding a day

One of the news nuggets out of the Big Ten athletic directors’ meetings in Chicago yesterday and today is that the men’s basketball tournament next March will expand one day to accommodate a field of 14 teams. Maryland and Rutgers officially join the conference July 1.

What format the five-day tournament will adopt, however, has not been finalized, Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst told the Detroit Free Press. All Eichorst revealed is that the tournament now will start on Wednesday and continue to end on Sunday.

The 2015 tournament will be at the United Center in Chicago.

The Big Ten could adopt the old Big East model for a 14-team, five-day bracket that played two games (involving the four lowest seeds) the first day, four games the second day, and gave the top four seeds byes into the quarterfinals on the third day.

Here’s another thought: Give only the top two seeds a bye and the next three a day off between their first and second games:

Wednesday -- 3 games matching seeds 3-14, 4-13 and 5-12. The 3, 4 and 5 seeds play Wednesday so they would get a day off should they advance to the quarterfinal round Friday.

Thursday -- 3 games matching seeds 6-11, 7-10 and 8-9.

Friday -- 4 quarterfinals, with the top seed facing the 8-9 winner and the No.2 seed the 7-10 winner. The other two games would match the 3-14 and 6-11 winners and the 4-13 and 5-12 winners.